Rotary’s president in Great Britain and Ireland has welcomed the UK government’s £100 million cash boost towards the global battle against polio.

Denis Spiller said he was proud that Rotary has been the catalyst for a worldwide campaign which, he believes, will help in the final push towards eliminating polio for good.

International Development Secretary, Priti Patel, this morning (Friday) announced the multi-million pound commitment from the UK, which will be channelled through the World Health Organisation to implement programmes of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Mr Spiller said, “This huge pledge from the UK government helps close the funding gap to a point where the end is now truly affordable and in our grasp. Polio will very soon be confined to the history books.”

“Polio will very soon be confined to the history books.”

Announcing the £100 million award, Ms Patel pointed out that the UK has been at the forefront of fighting global threats including polio. By making this push towards eradication by 2020, she predicted it will save 45 million children from contracting the disease.

“Polio has no place in the 21st Century. This devastating and highly infectious disease causes painful paralysis and is incurable – trapping the world’s poorest people in a cycle of grinding poverty,” explained the International Development Secretary.

“The world is closer than it ever has been to eradicating polio for good, but as long as just one case exists in the world, children everywhere are still at risk.

Rotarians in Great Britain and Ireland have already contributed £30 million ($37 million) and pledged to support a global fund-raising goal of $50 million annually over the next three years.

Today’s announcement builds on the British government’s commitment in 2013 to spend £300 million on polio between 2013 and 2018. But even with the UK contribution, there is still a £128 million ($170 million) funding gap – and Ms Patel urged other nations to play their part in the fight. “Now it is time for others to step up, follow Britain’s lead and make polio history,” she added.

Polio was wiped out in the UK in the 1980s and there are more than 100,000 British survivors today. Globally, the wild polio virus still exists in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, with eight new cases this year.

It is likely that the last new case of polio will be diagnosed this year, paving the way for the world to be certified polio-free by 2020.

Final contribution to Phyliss Tuckwell is £85,000 !!!

6500 happy party goers over two nights. First night raffle collected £6000 !!! And many who came to the first night booked for the Sunday night because they enjoyed it all so much. 5 Rotary Clubs worked together, led by Farnborough Club to make it a smashing weekend !

230 People Know Their Blood Pressure - 2017

High blood pressure causes over half of all strokes and over seven million people across the UK don’t even know that they have the condition!Over 230people had their blood pressure checked in The Mall Camberley between 10 and 4pm 22nd April. The checks were carried out by medically trained volunteers. The event was organised by Rotarian Chrissie Lawson, a local Consultant Nurse . Members of Camberley’s Elite Judo team and the local Rotary club provided support to the clinicians and public. The event was held in partnership with the Stroke Association and was in support of their national campaign to raise awareness about the risks of high blood pressure.

Our thanks to The Mall for all their help and for providing such a high profile location for this public health event.

Background

A stroke is a brain attack which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, caused by a clot or bleeding in the brain. There are around 152,000 strokes in the UK every year and it is the leading cause of severe adult disability. There are over 1.2 million people in the UK living with the effects of stroke.

In 2014, Rotary GBI and Stroke Association organised over 400 events across the UK. In the same year, Rotary GBI was honoured with a Special Recognition Award by Stroke Association for their long-term support of the Know Your Blood Pressure campaign.Dr James Logan, Channel 4’s own TV Doctor, presented the Life After Stroke Award to Rotary GBI at a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by Baroness Karren Brady.

Rotary International is a worldwide voluntary organisation of 1.2 million dedicated business professionals and community leaders. In Great Britain and Ireland there are over 50,000 men and women of all ages from all walks of life in Rotary clubs who share a passion and commitment to helping and improving communities both locally and across the world. Each member enjoys giving something back to those in need, as well as building business and social networking opportunities, learning new skills and having a huge amount of fun.

The Stroke Association is a charity. We believe in life after stroke and we’re leading a community of people to change the world for people affected by stroke. We work directly with stroke survivors and their families and carers, with health and social care professionals and with scientists and researchers. We campaign to improve stroke care and support people to make the best recovery they can. We fund research to develop new treatments and ways of preventing stroke. The Stroke Helpline (0303 303 3100) provides information and support on stroke. More information can be found at www.stroke.org.uk

Santander sponsor School Dictionairies

On Friday 7th April the staff at the Camberley branch held a homemade cakes and book sale to raise £250 so that more schools in Surrey Heath can have the Rotary sponsored Dictionary 4Life. The attractive dictionaries are ideal for Year 7 pupils and of course for children for whom English is a second language. Rotary buy these en masse through a special arrangement with the specialist publisher Usborne. All over the UK Rotary clubs are able to fund dictionaries usually sufficient for a whole year group and present them to local schools on an annual basis.

Camberley Car Show 3rd September

It is such a popular day in Camberley - organised by Collectively Camberley - it has become a real summer time feature. The wide range of cars exhibited means there is something of interest for everyone. For many, the cars evoke memories and act as milestones in their own history. We helped collect for the events chosen charity South West Kidney Appeal- a total of £3500 was donated across the day.

Frimley Green Carnival Sunday 10th July

The club members came out in force to support this vibrant community jamboree!

Some were fund raising to enable the club to continue with it's support of local charities. Some were manning a book stall, offering a superb range of hard and soft back books for just 50p each ( yes even the really thick ones were just 50p each!). A second team were amusing the crowds with the Club's ever popular 'find the plonk' game. You can see the list of charities the club has supported over the last 12 months here.

The Carnival Princess led the procession, driven by club member Peter Allin in his charming vintage 1925 Talbot 10/23 car, with Mike Duckworth chauffeuring our ex- Lady Mayor in his Jaguar sports car . Meanwhile lesser mortals, bedecked in Rotary safety bibs, were helping to marshal the carnival procession on its way to the Lakeside Club in Wharf Road.

Photos courtesy of Alan Meeks

Frensham Pond Sailability

What a lovely morning it was, bright sunlight, a little chillin the air , but just perfect for launching a new boat - Ellie 2

Six local Rotary Clubs funded Ellie 2 with the addition of some money from District and they were all represented, Farnham, Farnham Weyside, Farnborough, Hart, Fleet and Camberley of course. The Rotarians were welcomed by members of Frensham Pond Sail- ability and the Commodore of the Frensham Sailing Club and his wife.

Ellie 1 was provided by Camberley Rotaract in 2004 so our links with the club go back to it's earliest days!

Frensham Pond Sailability was officially launched in September 2001 with the primary aim of making the club more accessible to disabled sailors, and to integrate disabled sailors into club activities. The club can now provide disabled sailors, either individually or in groups, with a full range of dinghy sailing, from simply cruising around Frensham Pond to competitive racing in Paralympic class sail- boats.

Sandhurst Donkey Derby - lots of winners

It didn’t rain. The crowds poured in. The majority of Jim’s cuddly toys were sold to cuddly children. The alcohol enthusiasts spent loads of money trying to find the bottles of real wine. And there were several enquiries about purchasing some of the contents of the Shelterbox that was on display! The largesse of the Sandhurstians was wonderful. There will be cheering and arm waving in our local charities as we distribute the takings of the day.

Know your blood pressure campaign

Another 'Know Your Own Blood Pressure', or 'Stroke Awareness Day', was held in Camberley on Saturday 23 April. The blood pressures of well over 200 shoppers in the town centre were taken in what turned out to be a very busy day. Several of those tested were advised to seek medical attention within the next few weeks and a few to seek attention within one week. For those it may have been a life changing event.

We were visited by our town Mayor, Cllr Joanne Potter, who has graced us several times by attending many of our events, and by several members of the Camberley Judo Club, who we actively support—and we wish them well in the run-up to the Olympics. Our thanks must go to those nurses, doctors and dentists who gave their time, and to the Mall’s management for allowing us to use the Mall to draw attention to this most important aspect of healthy living.

Why bother ?

High blood pressure remains the single biggest risk factor for stroke, contributing to over half (54%) of strokes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The annual Know Your Blood Pressure day is about raising awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke. Residents in Camberley can get their blood pressure checked and receive information and advice on steps to keep it under control.

Chrissy Lawson, Camberley Rotarian said:

“Rotary’s long term support for the Know Your Blood Pressure campaign has reached hundreds of thousands of people in the last decade, potentially saving many lives. The ideal blood pressure is 120/80 but we know a significant number of people have readings above that and a quarter have dangerously high blood pressure with readings over 140/90. These events can play a big role in reducing strokes across the country. It’s clear from our work that high blood pressure is far more common than you would think.”

Laura McGuinness, who leads on stroke prevention at the Stroke Association said: “High blood pressure is often referred to as the silent killer because it doesn’t present symptoms and many people have no idea their health may be at risk. Over 9 million people in the UK are currently registered with high blood pressure but estimates suggest there could be up to almost 7 million people who are currently undiagnosed and at risk.

“Getting your blood pressure checked is easy and quick. It’s a simple way to reducing your risk of having a stroke.”

In addition to the events taking place on 23rdApril, there were blood pressure checks at community events throughout the year.